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1977 Hockey Inductees

Two years in a row, we have an owner who probably should have been kicked out when it was all said and done. Last year, it was Bill Wirtz, and this year it is the controversial owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Harold Ballard. Horrible bosses aside, this class gave us two excellent inductees in Alex Delvecchio and Tim Horton which is where the focus should be.

You would think that it would be impressive enough that Alex Delvecchio played a little over twenty two seasons in the NHL for just one team; that being the Detroit Red Wings: but it was far more than that accomplishment that made him enter the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Delevecchio’s lengthy tenure in Motown was made more impressive by the fact…

Bunny Ahearne was born in Ireland, and spent most of his adult life in Great Britain; a strange pedigree for a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee. Ahearne worked for the British Ice Hockey Association (yes there is one) and managed the team that shockingly won the Olympic Gold over Canada in 1936. He would later serve in various capacities for the IIHF and was a big…

Much like Bill Wirtz’ induction, we are guessing that Toronto fans felt the same way about the performance of Harold Ballard AFTER he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Ballard was a longtime supporter of Hockey on multiple levels and did a lot financially for amateur hockey teams in the Toronto area for years. In the early 60’s, along with Stafford Smythe and John…

An accomplished Goalie in his own right, Joseph Cattarinich would become known not only for his business acumen while running the Montreal Canadians, but also for his kindness and generosity. Along with Leo Dandurand and Louis Letourneau, he bought the Habs in 1921 and though he did not get the same credit that Danduran received, was part of an ownership group that made the Montreal Canadians…

At the risk of breaking the illusion to many young donut fans, there really WAS a Tim Horton, and he was one hell of a Hockey player. Horton entered the NHL in the mid 50’s and immediately made an impact being named to the Second Team All Star squad in his second full season. A devastating collision with the New York Rangers’ Bill Gadsby slowed…